Several important riders, including Costante Girardengo, Gaetano Belloni and Giovanni Brunero refused to ride the 1924 edition in a dispute with the teams over start money. The riders were supported by the Giro organization instead of the teams and are all considered independent.

The 1924 Giro was also famous because Alfonsina Strada became the first and only woman to start a Grand Tour.

For the first time sine 1911, the Giro had 12 stages.

Winner Giuseppe Enrici's strong ride through terrible weather in stage 8 earned him an ironclad grip on the lead, which he never relinquished.

1924 Giro d'Italia Complete Final General Classification:

Giuseppe Enrici: 143hr 43min 37sec

Federico Gay @ 58min 21sec

Angiolo Gabrielli @ 1hr 56min 53sec

Secondo Martinetto @ 2hr 13min 51sec

Enea Dal Fiume @ 2hr 19min 0sec

Gianbattista Gilli @ 2hr 59min 20sec

Vitaliano Lugli @ 3hr 28min 32sec

Giovanni Rossignoli @ 3hr 29min 9sec

Ottavio Pratesi @ 4hr 3min 0sec

Alfredo Sivocci @ 4hr 3min 36sec

Giovanni Tragella @ 4hr 21min 26sec

Luigi Ugaglia @ 5hr 21min 38sec

Domenico Sangiorgi @ 6hr 56min 41sec

Alfredo Comminetti @ 7hr 13min 52sec

Guido Masseri @ 7hr 32min 41sec

Arturo Ferrario @ 7hr 45min 35sec

Giovanni Bassi @ 8hr 10min 22sec

Romolo Lazzeretti @ 8hr 55min 32sec

Michele Robotti @ 10hr 7min 39sec

Livio Cattel @ 10hr 50min 32sec

Michele Tutolo @ 11hr 9min 49sec

Fortunato Manicardi @ 12hr 45min 51sec

Giuseppe Rizzo @ 15hr 29min 27sec

Enrico Sala @ 17hr 12min 42sec

Antonio Buelli @ 17hr 17min 30sec

Silvio Scrianti @ 17hr 19min 27sec

Luigi Gilardi @ 18hr 18min 39sec

Montanari (Arturo or Giuseppe?) @ 18hr 30min 44sec

Maurizio Garino @ 20hr 51min 22sec

Telesforo Benaglia @ 20hr 58min 37sec

1924 Giro stage results with running GC:

Stage 1: Saturday, May 10, Milano - Genova, 300 km

Ascent: Penice

Bartolomeo Aymo: 11hr 0min 23sec

Federico Gay @ 9min 50sec

Guido Masseri @ 16min 50sec

Gaetano Belloni @ 18min 39min

Giuseppe Enrici s.t.

Ermanno Vallazza @ 23min 33sec

Giovanni Bassi @ 25min 5sec

Riccardo Gagliardi @ 26min 33sec

Alfredo Sivocci s.t.

Enea Dal Fiume s.t.

GC after Stage 1: Same as stage results

Stage 2: Monday, May 12, Genova - Firenze, 308 km

Ascent: Bracco

Federico Gay: 11hr 52min 36sec

Giuseppe Enrici @ 1sec

Michele Gordini @ 7min 13sec

Giovanni Trentarossi s.t.

Bartolomeo Aymo @ 7min 16sec

Adriano Zanaga @ 7min 57sec

Alfredo Sivocci @ 10min 27sec

Giovanni Bassi @ 10min 28sec

Guido Messeri s.t.

Alighiero Burroni @ 13min 58sec

GC after Stage 2:

Bartolomeo Aymo: 23hr 0min 15sec

Federico Gay @ 3min 14sec

Giuseppe Enrici @ 11min 43sec

Guido Merreri @ 20min 2sec

Giovanni Bassi @ 28min 17sec

Adriano Zanaga @ 29min 34sec

Alfredo Sivocci @ 29min 44sec

Enea Dal Fiume @ 33min 37sec

Vitaliano Lugli @ 34min 39sec

Ermanno Vallazza @ 37min 38sec

Stage 3: Wednesday, May 14, Firenze - Roma, 284 km

Ascent: Radicofani

Federico Gay: 10hr 56min 6sec

Enea Dal Fiume @ 2min 30sec

Michele Gordini @ 3min 8sec

Giuseppe Enrici @ 5min 48sec

Angelo Gabrielli @ 18min 54sec

Adriano Zanaga @ 21min 54sec

Giovanni Tragella @ 23min 45sec

Secondo Martinetto s.t.

Carlo Mellera @ 35min 39sec

Fortunato Manicardi s.t.

GC after Stage 3:

Federico Gay: 33hr 59min 35sec

Giuseppe Enrici @ 14min 23sec

Enea Dal Fiume @ 32min 53sec

Michele Gordini @ 38min 46sec

Guido Messeri @ 42min 28sec

Adrian Zanaga @ 48min 14sec

Secondo Martinetto @ 1hr 0min 33sec

Alfredo Sivocci @ 1hr 2min 12sec

Angelo Gabrielli @ 1hr 3min 51sec

Giovanni Tragella @ 1hr 7min 47sec

Stage 4: Friday, May 16, Roma - Napoli, 249 km

Adriano Zanaga: 9hr 46min 14sec

Federico Gay @ 4min 28sec

Giovanni Trentarossi s.t.

Giuseppe Enrici @ 6min 21sec

Itaiano Lugli @ 7min 31sec

Giovanni Tragella @ 11min 36sec

Angelo Gabrielli @ 13min 49sec

Secondo Martinetto @ 14min 7sec

Giovanni Bassi @ 17min 51sec

Michele Gordini s.t.

GC after Stage 4:

Federico Gay: 43hr 50min 17sec

Giuseppe Enrici @ 16min 16sec

Adriano Zanaga @ 40min 42sec

Michele Gordini @ 52min 9sec

Guido Messeri @ 55min 52sec

Enea Dal Fiume @ 55min 54sec

Angelo Gabrielli @ 1hr 6min 44sec

Secondo Martinetto @ 1hr 10min 12sec

Giovanni Tragella @ 1hr 14min 55sec

Giovanni Trentarossi @ 1hr 18min 1sec

Stage 5: Sunday, May 18, Potenza - Taranto, 265 km

Ascent: Santerasmo in Colle

Federico Gay: 9hr 47min 18sec

Secondo Martinetto s.t.

Giuseppe Enrici @ 1sec

Angelo Gabrielli s.t.

Italiano Lugli @ 3min 22sec

Gianbattista Gilli @ 4min 50sec

Ottavio Pratesi @ 8min 10sec

Adriano Zanaga @ 9min 15sec

Giovanni Rossignoli @ 12min 23sec

Giovanni Tragella s.t.

GC after Stage 5:

Federico Gay: 53hr 37min 35sec

Giuseppe Enrici @ 16min 17sec

Adriano Zanaga @ 49min 57sec

Angelo Gabrielli @ 1hr 6min 45sec

Secondo Martinetto @ 1hr 10min 12sec

Giovanni Tragella @ 1hr 27min 18sec

Italiano Lugli @ 1hr 29min 42sec

Enea Dal Fiume @ 1hr 39min 52sec

Giovanni Rossignoli @ 1hr 57min 6sec

Gianbattista Gilli @ 2hr 6min 39sec

Stage 6: Tuesday, May 20, Taranto - Foggia, 230 km

Federico Gay: 53hr 37min 35sec

Gianbattista Gilli s.t.

Giuseppe Enrici s.t.

Enea Dal Fiume @ 32sec

Angelo Gabrielli @ 5min 52sec

Secondo Martinetto s.t.

Michele Robotti @ 8min 8sec

Giovanni Tragella @ 8min 10sec

Livio Cattel s.t.

Guido Messeri s.t.

GC after Stage 6:

Federico Gay: 62hr 42min 53sec

Giuseppe Enrici @ 16min 17sec

Angelo Gabrielli @ 1hr 12min 37sec

Secondo Martinetto @ 1hr 12min 37sec

Giovanni Tragella @ 1hr 35min 28sec

Enea Dal Fiume @ 1hr 40min 24sec

Italiano Lugli @ 1hr 40min 27sec

Gianbattista Gilli @ 2hr 6min 39sec

Giovanni Rossignoli @ 2hr 17min 22sec

Alfredo Sivocci @ 2hr 42min 0sec

Stage 7: Thursday, May 22, Foggia - L'Aquila, 304 km

Ascent: Vinchiatoro, Rionero Sannitico(?)

Giuseppe Enrici: 12hr 47min 27sec

Italiano Lugli @ 3min 45sec

Gianbattista Gilli @ 12min 7sec

Giovanni Tragella s.t.

Secondo Martinetto @ 17min 0sec

Angelo Gabrielli @ 17min 5sec

Guido Messeri @ 17min 10sec

Alfredo Sivocci @ 17min 22sec

Federico Gay @ 17min 25sec

Luigi Ugaglia @ 18min 39sec

GC after Stage 7:

Giuseppe Enrici: 75hr 46min 37sec

Federico Gay @ 1min 8sec

Angelo Gabrielli @ 1hr 13min 25sec

Secondo Martinetto @ 1hr 16min 47sec

Italiano Lugli @ 1hr 27min 55sec

Giovanni Tragella @ 1hr 31min 18sec

Enea Dal Fiume @ 1hr 58min 11sec

Gianbattista Gilli @ 2hr 2min 29sec

Giovanni Rossignoli @ 2hr 34min 51sec

Alfredo Sivocci @ 2hr 43min 14sec

Stage 8: Saturday, May 24, L'Aquila - Perugia, 296 km

Ascents: Campannelle, Forca Canapine

Giuseppe Enrici: 11hr 12min 18sec

Enea Dal Fiume @ 1min 25sec

Giovanni Rossignoli @ 19min 7sec

Angelo Gabrielli @ 22min 42sec

Guido Messeri @ 31min 42sec

Gianbattista Gilli @ 33min 6sec

Italiano Lugli @ 34min 19sec

Ottavio Pratesi @ 35min 34sec

Alfredo Sivocci @ 39min 15sec

Federico Gay @ 39min 16sec

GC after Stage 8:

Giuseppe Enrici: 86hr 58min 55sec

Federico Gay @ 40min 14sec

Angelo Gabrielli @ 1hr 30min 7sec

Enea Dal Fiume @ 1hr 59min 18sec

Italiano Lugli @ 2hr 2min 14sec

Secondo Martinetto @ 2hr 6min 16sec

Gianbattista Gilli @ 2hr 35min 39sec

Giovanni Rossignoli @ 2hr 52min 58sec

Alfredo Sivocci @ 3hr 22min 39sec

Ottavio Pratesi @ 3hr 30min 43sec

Stage 9: Monday, May 26, Perugia - Bologna, 280 km

Ascents: Madrioli, Passo Carnaio

Arturo Ferrario: 10hr 47min 26sec

Giuseppe Enrici @ 1sec

Giovanni Tragella @ 1min 58sec

Secondo Martinetto @ 8min 0sec

Federico Gay @ 8min 45sec

Enea Dal Fiume @ 10min 49sec

Gianbattista Gilli @ 11min 10sec

Angiolo Gabrielli @ 12min 3sec

Domenico Sangiorgi @ 15min 17sec

Alfredo Comminetti @ 16min 44sec

GC after Stage 9:

Giuseppe Enrici: 97hr 46min 22sec

Federico Gay @ 48min 9sec

Angiolo Gabrielli @ 1hr 48min 9sec

Enea Dal Fiume @ 2hr 10min 16sec

Secondo Martinetto @ 2hr 14min 15sec

Gianbattista Gilli @ 2hr 46min 48sec

Italiano Lugli @ 3hr 10min 21sec

Giovanni Rossignoli @ 3hr 29min 19sec

Ottavio Pratesi @ 3hr 55min 17sec

Alfredo Sivocci @ 4hr 4min 24sec

Stage 10: Wednesday, May 28, Bologna - Fiume, 415 km

Ascent: Castelnuovo

Romolo Lazzaretti: 17gr 29min 12sec

Alfredo Sivocci s.t.

Arturo Ferrario s.t.

Secondo Martinetto @ 22sec

Giovanni Tragella @ 34sec

Giovanni Rossignoli @ 37sec

Giuseppe Enrici @ 48sec

Ottavio Pratesi @ 7min 31sec

Federico Gay @ 9min 32sec

Enea Dal Fiume s.t.

GC after Stage 10:

Giuseppe Enrici: 115hr 16min 22sec

Federico Gay @ 56min 21sec

Angiolo Gabrielli @ 1hr 56min 53sec

Secondo Martinetto @ 2hr 13min 51sec

Enea Dal Fiume @ 2hr 19min 0sec

Gianbattista Gilli @ 2hr 59min 20sec

Italiano Lugli @ 3hr 28min 32sec

Giovanni Rossignoli @ 3hr 29min 6sec

Ottavio Pratesi @ 4hr 3min 0sec

Alfredo Sivocci @ 4hr 3min 36sec

Stage 11: Friday, May 30, Fiume - Verona, 366 km

Arturo Ferrario: 18hr 15min 54sec

Federico Gay s.t.

Giovanni Bassi s.t.

Michele Robotti s.t.

Enea Dal Fiume s.t.

Romolo Lazzaretti s.t.

Alfredo Sivocci s.t.

Giovanni Rossignoli s.t.

Ottavio Pratesi s.t.

Telesforo Benaglia s.t.

GC after Stage 11:

Giuseppe Enrici: 133hr 32min 16sec

Federico Gay @ 58min 21sec

Angiolo Gabrielli @ 1hr 56min 53sec

Secondo Martinetto @ 2hr 13min 51sec

Enea Dal Fiume @ 2hr 19min 0sec

Gianbattista Gilli @ 2hr 59min 20sec

Italiano Lugli @ 3hr 28min 32sec

Giovanni Rossignoli @ 3hr 29min 8sec

Ottavio Pratesi @ 4hr 3min 0sec

Alfredo Sivocci @ 4hr 3min 36sec

12th and Final Stage: Sunday, June 1, Verona - Milano, 313 km

Ascents: Pieve di Ledro, San Eusebio

Giovanni Bassi: 12hr 51min 21sec

Federico Gay s.t.

Alfredo Sivocci s.t.

Romolo Lazzaretti s.t.

Michele Robotti s.t.

Enea Dal Fiume s.t.

Giovanni Rossignoli s.t.

Giovanni Tragella s.t.

28 riders came in at the same time and were given the same time and place

This excerpt is from "The Story of the Giro d'Italia", Volume 1. If you enjoy it we hope you will consider purchasing the book, either print or electronic. The Amazon link here will make either purchase easy.

At the line in Milan for the start of the Giro’s 1924 edition were several well regarded riders including Bartolomeo Aymo, Federico Gay and Giuseppe Enrici. But the quality of the 1924 field was not what it had been the previous year because the best riders, including Girardengo, Bottecchia, Belloni and Brunero, were on bad terms with the Giro organizers as well as their own teams. The top riders demanded money from their teams to race the Giro and the teams, in turn, demanded start money from the Giro organizers. The Giro wanted to strangle this baby in its crib and firmly said no. The result of this standoff? The top riders did not ride.

To get the peloton up to the size they needed, the Giro offered openings to individuals without teams who wanted to compete. Moreover, the offer came with the added inducement of room and board for the 90 riders they would accept. The Giro’s grocery list included 600 chickens, 720 eggs, 4,800 bananas, 2,000 bottles of mineral water, 750 kilograms of meat plus jams, cookies, apples and oranges.

The 1924 route showed that the organizers were feeling ambitious and confident. The race had twelve stages, which hadn’t been tried since 1911, and went all the way down to Taranto in the arch of the Italian boot. The race was a monster at 3,613 kilometers with an average stage length of 302 kilometers.
Among the independent applicants who were accepted was a starter who was given racing number 72. This rider, who registered under the name Alfonsin Strada, was more remarkable than any of the other entrants. Number 72 was actually Alfonsina Morini Strada. Yes, that’s right, Alfonsina. Mrs. Strada.
Strada was born on a farm in Castelfranco in Emilia. At an early age she developed a deep love for the bicycle and cycle competition. Her nickname among the locals where she tore around the dirt roads on her bike was the “Devil in a Dress”. Although her parents did all they could to discourage her bike racing, she was strong-willed as well as a fine athlete.

Getting married didn’t dull her love of cycling either, as her family had hoped. Her husband, who was also a bicycle racer, became her trainer and gave her a new racing bike with dropped bars as a wedding present. She was very successful, racing all over Europe, even finishing thirty-second (last place) in the 1917 Tour of Lombardy.

Given that she had registered under the sexually ambiguous name of Alfonsin, it seems no one knew that a woman was going to ride the Giro. Once it became clear that they did have a rider without a “Y” chromosome, Emilio Colombo decided to keep her in the race. Her presence, not without a touch of scandal in those days, had a great deal of promotional value. At first she did well.

Alfonsina Strada

Although she lost a lot of time she finished ahead of many male riders in the 300-kilometer first stage to Genoa, won by Bartolomeo Aymo. Up at the pointy part of the race Aymo had started the Giro auspiciously by beating second-place Federico Gay by almost ten minutes.

Alfonsina came in 56th out of 65 finishers in the second stage that finished in Florence, 2 hours 6 minutes behind stage winner Federico Gay, while Aymo retained the lead. And when the race went to Rome in the third stage, she finished 2 hours 33 minutes behind the stage winner and new leader, Federico Gay. Race leader Aymo abandoned.

Strada also did well enough in the fourth stage into Naples, coming in 56th, 2 hours 21 minutes behind stage winner Adriano Zanaga. Gay still had a healthy sixteen-minute lead over Enrici.

Probably stage 5, the peloton passes through Cosenza.

Stage seven was the pivotal stage of the race and things tightened up considerably. As the Giro peloton raced north from Foggia, Gay lost twelve minutes on the 304-kilometer leg that finished in L’Aquila. More of a passista (a man who can roll a big gear on the flats) than a scalatore (climber), Gay imprudently attacked on the climb to Macerone and when he ran out of gas he was quickly overtaken by the true climbers. His gamble cost him more than seventeen minutes.

It was during the stage eight journey to Perugia that both Strada’s and Gay’s fortunes shifted. Before the hilly stage started Enrici and Gay were nearly tied. The day’s weather was horrific, hard rain and powerful winds lashed the riders. Gay lost forty minutes and the stage winner and race leader Giuseppe Enrici assumed an ironclad grip on the lead.

Working on a bike

Strada endured numerous falls and punctures. Compounding her misery was a painful knee injury acquired in the previous stage. She arrived well after the cutoff time in Perugia after finally completing the 296-kilometer stage. The judges had a fierce argument as to whether she should be allowed to continue, considering her bad luck and courageous riding. Her handlebars broke in one crash and she had resorted to using a piece of broken broomstick to make the repair. The disqualifiers won out and Strada was no longer an officially classified rider in the 1924 Giro.

But Colombo was still conscious of the publicity Strada gave the race and let her keep riding, even going so far as continuing to pay for her room and board.
When Strada came into Fiume at the end of the tenth stage she was hurt and crying after a bad crash. The cheering crowds were enchanted with her grit and courage and lifted her from her bike. Meanwhile, Enrici added almost nine minutes to his lead over Gay.

Enrici’s foot had somehow become infected, causing him terrible suffering. He could ride, but was unable to walk. Despite this, he maintained his lead to the end, winning his one and only Giro d’Italia.

Strada ended up making it all the way to Milan as well, riding all 3,613 kilometers. She finished 38 hours behind Enrici, not bad when you consider the last classified finisher, 30th placed Telesforo Benaglia, was over 20 hours behind. But “not bad” was not good enough and Strada was never allowed to ride the Giro again, although she continued to compete in other races all over Europe.

In her time, she was quite the celebrity. The famous Italian writer Dino Buzzati wrote that when he was a boy cycling in a park in Milan he saw Alfonsina riding and managed to stay with her for two laps before “exploding”. After that she shot off down the path like an arrow.

Let’s raise a glass to Alfonsina, a courageous and fine athlete who only wanted to ride and race her bike. She rode in an era of single-speed bikes where competing in races of staggering length in a country with often abominable roads was the standard for all. It’s a shame she was born 60 years too soon.
It’s also a shame that the 1924 Giro didn’t have Belloni and Girardengo racing against obviously in-form riders Enrici and Gay.

Enrici was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but his family at some point moved to Piedmont in northern Italy. I asked Giro historian and La Gazzetta editor Pier Bergonzi about this. He said that Enrici was an Italian citizen when he won the 1924 Giro. Still, Enrici was the first American-born racer to win a Grand Tour.